If it’s true that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships, the Canyon Eagles seem more primed to win games than draw fans right now.

That’s because the Eagles bring back eight defensive starters, a good place to start this season in the metrocentric District 3-4A. Having that kind of experience won’t hurt in facing the variety of offenses that 3-4A has to offer.

On top of that, the Eagles have adjusted their defensive scheme, going to a four-man line instead of a three-man line for more defensive flexibility.

“It’s hard to play defense this day and age because you see so many different things,” Canyon coach Blake Bryant said. “We spent a lot of time reviewing some things this past spring to fit our personnel a little bit better.”

And there is a lot of personnel to work with. Canyon has capable players returning in the line, at linebacker and in the secondary, so the learning curve heading into this season wasn’t as steep.

How successful the Eagles are heading into district play might depend on how much weight the defense carries.

“I look at our defense as the more experienced alignment,” said senior linebacker Walker Horn, the team’s leading returning tackler from last season with 97. “Even if our offense gets in a tough situation we can get the team out of it.”

Horn will be a true middle linebacker this season in a 4-3 after being one of two inside linebackers last year in a 3-4. The new alignment will be more suited to go against pass-oriented spread offenses.

“You can get a good pass rush and kick down into a five-man line against a running team,” Bryant said.

Speed has become increasingly important for defenses who have to cover more of the field than ever before.

That goes not just for those players who have to cover receivers, but those up front as well.

Senior defensive end Pedro Garcia, a returning starter from last season, likes the possibilities that playing in a 4-3 can bring.

“I think it’s a lot better for the team because we can implement more players on the field,” Garcia said.

“It gives us more of a running head start.”

While the setup might be different from last year, the best news for Canyon is that most of the players are the same. And some, like senior strong safety Jace Vessels, are in their third year as starters.

“The biggest strength of our defense is that everybody’s together on the same page,” Vessels said. “With eight returning starters we all know where we’re supposed to be and where everybody else is supposed to be.”

That all starts up front, where strength and toughness play the biggest roles defensively. If the Eagles show improvement there, they should improve on last year, when they gave up 374.5 yards a game.

For all the concerns about defending the pass, Canyon will also have to face run-oriented teams like Amarillo High and Randall in district play. Senior defensive end Jake Ellison, another returning starter, thinks the Eagles will be able to stand up to strong ground attacks.

“I think we’ll be able to defend the run a lot better with more men down in the line,” Ellison said. “We lost only two or three guys who played a whole lot last year.”

That should lead to an improved sense of cohesiveness among the defense.

Horn thinks having four players up front will help him and the rest of the “back seven” be more effective.

“We have one of the most solid defensive lines in the district,” Horn said. “They’re big, strong guys who love contact.”